Hi, everyone – it’s been a while! Quite a few people have written in lately wondering why I haven’t updated the blog in a while, so I thought I should address that. Firstly, for those that were concerned something was wrong, I’d like to reassure you that I’m a-okay and everything is fine. I’ve just been engrossed in a new project, and as a result, the blog has gone into a bit of a hiatus – there’s only so many hours in the day, after all! To be honest, the blog has already succeeded well beyond my wildest dreams and contains a formidable archive of maps, reviews and tips and techniques, so I’m okay with it taking a little break.

So, what is this all-consuming project, you might ask? Basically, I’m writing a fully-comprehensive research wiki on the history of streetcars and electric interurbans in my adopted home town of Portland, Oregon. As many of you know, it’s a subject very near to my heart (with multiple maps made on the subject!), and it’s something I’m feeling very inspired about at the moment. Information on this subject is scattered about the internet on various sites (which aren’t always accurate), or is hidden away in lots of separate books, so I’m trying to create a comprehensive archive of verified primary-source information (mainly historical newspaper articles) to give definitive dates and details for all the streetcar companies, lines, infrastructure, and prominent people involved. The work is mainly trawling newspaper databases for relevant articles and transcribing and tagging them in a fully-searchable database for easy reference and cross-checking. I’ve already transcribed over 650 articles and I’m still only scratching the surface! You can check out the project here – Portland Streetcar History.

There’s still a lot to do: I’m currently working on filling out the maps gallery, which will hopefully become the largest repository of streetcar-era maps of Portland on the internet, all with links back to the original download source. I’m also hoping to create chronological maps of each line, so that you can see how each grew and changed over time – it’s going to be a lot of work, but worth it!

As work on this new project progresses, I can see myself start to return some time back to the blog, so it’s certainly not dead… just taking a little rest! Let me know what you think of my new project in the comments and, as always, thanks for your support!